Masculine and Feminine Spaces Within the Home

Masculine and Feminine Spaces Within the Home This essay will analyse the historical relevance of the idea of masculine and feminine spaces within the home and whether these ideas are still apparent in a 21st century South African context. This analysis will be done by using the ideals placed on the Victorian Household and the psychological gender of the spaces, through looking into key spaces within the De Villiers family home and how the design interventions used in their home are relevant or irrelevant to the idea of masculine and feminine spaces. Through looking at both Public and Private Spaces within the house this extent will be analysed. The Victorian era is an era that has held a lot of symbolism to our current culture. It has been the cause of some great debate about the gender roles on men and women for centuries (Forty 1986: 110). The Victorian era held the strongest reasons for questions to be asked about the house and what went on in doors (Forty 1986: 109). Our current society still lives by some of the rules that were placed into the home environment, though a few roles may be reversed or neutralised. When looking at the key culture of the Victorian era the person has to analyse the middle class to upper class households that held more than three rooms and had rooms that were gender orientated (Forty 1986: 106). â€Å"As domestic environments have come to be regarded as signs of the occupants characters, people have gone to great lengths to present a satisfactory account of themselves.† (Forty 1986: 106) As people we base a large amount of what we think of a person or family on their living conditions and therefore we project the desired opinion that we want from others onto our own living spaces, to be perceived in a certain way. This was a mentality that was seen in the Victorian era as well and predicted the future of you and you relatives (Forty 1986: 102). The Home was seen as a class symbol that would project the wealth and status of the family that lived within (Forty 1986: 101). This was an important part of knowing who to socialise with and what their personal worth would be to you. Sexualities can only be adequately evaluated in relation to their broader cultural contexts (Smyth 1992:20). This can determine if one or both partners in a heterosexual relationship tend to be either more feminine or masculine in the relationship. Cavallaro (2001:115) states that: â€Å"Anti-essentialists do not deny that men and women are biologically and anatomically different. However, they argue that masculinity and femininity are not timeless realities grounded in natural laws but actually cultural concepts that change significantly through time and space.† The sex of the person does not affect the gender role that they have. How that will affect the relationship within the home in terms of the interior style according to the gender role that is more predominant. The De Villiers family home is a household that is commonly found in South African, a mix of Afrikaans plaas and English City mentality (De Villiers 2015). The mother was brought up in Johannesburg and the father on a farm in Nelspruit (De Villiers 2015). The household consists of the mother, Debbi and the father, Lewis with their three sons over twenty-one living with them (De Villiers 2015). The family has a love for hosting friends and family in their spaces, this has made some design choices crucial in the house (De Villiers 2015). Debbi Studied to be a grade 5 teacher, but after having her first son chose to raise their children as a stay at home Mother (De Villiers 2015). At this stage the father had a big part in the design choices and certain things like floral patterns and colour were not allowed to play a role in the communal spaces (De Villiers 2015). Debbi decided to do her own curtains for the house and this soon after became a business that was bringing in more money th an the construction Job that Lewis had (De Villiers 2015). They soon started to work together and this is when the change in the house happened and the chance for Debbi to bring Hints of florals into the house (De Villiers 2015). The house is over 85 years old and was renovated eleven years ago to modernise some of the feature and add to some of the spaces in the house (De Villiers 2015). The family hosts a large collection of inherited antiques that have been reupholstered to suit the style of the house (De Villiers 2015). The mix between contemporary and old form a balance in this neutral colour scheme home. The latest room to be redecorated was the television room in February 2015 (De Villiers 2015). The exterior is a common South African face brick exterior. In the Victorian time the men had domain over what the exterior of the house was to be this was because the exterior world was a man’s world (Forty 1986: 104). A masculine exterior was seen as superior as it improved the power status of the family that lived within the house, if the exterior was more feminine the house was seen as bordering on a childish expression (Ehrnberger, Rà ¤sà ¤nen Ilstedt 2012: 89). The exterior of the De Villiers h ouse is masculine but the garden softens the exterior and makes the overall appearance more neutral. As one enter the house you walk onto a raised platform that forms the passage to the private areas of the house and the public areas, this can be seen on the diagrammatic in Figure 1. The entrance looks into the open plan Formal living room (Figure 1 and 2). This room would be the equivalent to the music room and drawing room in a Victorian household. The space is divided into three defined segments: the first a Lounge area that is symmetrical with Colour making the space asymmetrical, seen in figure 2; a seating area of two wingback chairs that has a table with family pictures and other memorabilia, seen in Figure 2; and a Music area that has the piano and a music stand, the piano has memorabilia on top of it, seen in Figure 2. The soft furnishings are in a majority neutral palate with red cushions and pale blues or florals (Figure 2 3) being brought through, this a feminine way of decorating the space (Kinchin 1996: 13). The dark woods of all the hard furniture is a masculine trai t (Kinchin 1996: 13). â€Å"Boundaries between inner psyche and outward aesthetic expression were growing ever more indistinct† (Sidlavskas 1996:70). The overall design of the room is more feminine with the Photographs and displays of plants and embellishments throughout the space, these embellishments of the room can be seen as a nostalgic element of a more feminine nature of remembering things from the past (Morley 2002: 58). The next space is the formal dining room that is off the kitchen and Formal living room, as can be seen in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows the entire space of the dining room. Mainly done in dark furnishings with a few decorative items. The room is more masculine with a strong contrast to the Formal living room. The Fire place has a feminine look to it and has been in the house since it was originally built. The furniture is all repurposed family antiques. The pictures on the walls are prints and painting of men. These elements make the room more masculine and as it is more purpose decorated, therefore it has a more serious feel to it. This space is not a common used space and is kept for special occasions where in the Victorian era it would have been the most used room and the biggest status symbol in the house (Kinchin 1996: 16). This use of the dining room would also allude to the Victorian ideal of the saying ‘man of the House’ and this would therefore need the space to com e across more masculine to show the ownership of the house unit. The outdoor patio space that is off the dining room, seen in Figure 1, is a space used to celebrate family events. Morley (2002: 19) talks about the need of the family to part take in rituals (Birthdays, Easter and Christmas celebrations) in certain areas of the house as a way of showing an â€Å"appearance of proper family relations†. This space in the De Villiers house is the Main patio, which has been designed to be an entertainment area. This area was added to the house ten years ago and has been used to celebrate a wide range of events, as well as a favourite space to spend time with one another. This space is a multi-purpose space that brings in the families love of nature into the space with the garden bordering the space. This natural element is seen as a feminine side and with the curving chandeliers and lighter colours. the overall space has more of a feminine feel to the space. The Family Sitting room that is off the dining room, seen in Figure 1, is the most used space by the entire family. Decorated in a Postmodern style that is emotionally decorated (Figure 6) and not functionally decorated, â€Å"stressing a unique and ‘daring’ combination of heterogeneous furniture elements all favoured for their authentic individual merits† (Cieraad 1999: 9). This space was redesigned in February and therefore the gender role of the room has changed. All the dark wood furnishings have been limited and some painted white to give a softness to the hard furniture. The walls have been repainted in a neutral colour, while the colour blue has been brought in with florals and patterns to balance masculine and feminine in the room (Figure 6). The room that was predominately the son’s haven therefore more masculine, has become a shared neural space for the whole families use. The son’s bedrooms are each different and match each of their personalities. The oldest son’s bedroom (figure 18) is bedroom 3. The colour scheme is very similar to the rest of the house with a more neutral gender role. The middle son’s bedroom (figure 15 and 16) is simply decorated with blues and a few items on his desk. The youngest son (figure 17) has the most items in his bedroom and has a large about of memorabilia in the room. The colour scheme is blue and green. The boys have masculine rooms. â€Å"We must recognise that often home is ‘a contested domain: an arena where differing interests struggle to define their own spaces within which to localise and cultivate their identity’† stated by Ehrnberger (Rà ¤sà ¤nen Ilstedt 2012: 57). Each of the sons are trying to find their own identity in their individual rooms and therefore their rooms are a contrast to the overall style of the house. The main bedroom suit that is off the main passageway next to bedroom 1, seen in Figure 1, is the haven in the house for the husband and wife. Figure 7 to 14 show the entire suit. Each space has a different gender role and this shows who the space was designed more for the people living within it. The bedroom shown in figure 7, 8 and 9, is less ornamentally designed then the public spaces. The furnishings are in mainly neutral colours with very little patterning on them. Each night stand has a different appeal. There is a small patio and seating area for the husband and wife to spend time with each other in their shared space. The wife’s night stand (figure 7) is round with a table cloth making it softer, it has a plant and a small lamp on the table along with a few books and other items. Along with her dressing table it marks her individual space within the room. The husband’s nightstand (figure 8) has a chandelier hanging over it, the stand is made of a dark wood and has piles of books on the stand. The husband’s side of the bed is closest to his study. â€Å"The surface of a room, the shape of an object, its colour, can inspire sympathy or even antipathy†¦ objects become signs of a great number of small actions† Paul Bourget (Sidlauskas 1996:73). The individual spaces within the shared spaces are strongly defied unlike the rest of the house. The rooms off the bedroom each have more masculine traits. The study (Figure 10 and 11) off the main bedroom is overflowing with clutter and books. This space seems messy but is a well-used space and is the husband’s main space for himself in the house. The atrium off the space shows the need for individual space in the garden area for him as well. The bathroom seen in figure 13 and 14, shows a more masculine space with the use of dark woods along the neutral colours. There is very little decoration other than two paintings and a chair that has been placed in the space. The bathroom is more of a place of function then emotion, making the space more masculine (Morley 2002: 57). The De Villiers house was designed in a French style that would lead one to think that the femininity of that style of design would be the most prominent gender role within their house. This house shows that through the people the space is made a home and their personal gender roles, along with the functionality of each space determines the overall gender role of each space. Rothchild (1999: 11) talks about the change in ownership roles of the house due to the workplace becoming more feminine. This allows one to see that the family unit has a more balanced Gender role household due to Debbie and Lewis working together as co-owners of a business, though Debbie now has a more design choice in the house. The private spaces applies to the individual that spends the most amount of time within that space. While the public space tend to be more masculine with feminine touches or elements being brought in to balance the space. The exterior of this house does not have an effect on the overall gender role within the house. From my personal perspective, the De Villiers house tends to hold a more balanced amount of masculine and feminine gender spaces, though feminine elements outweigh the masculine elements in the public spaces. The overall design style of the house stays consistent throughout the space.

America Favorite Car Brand

An automobile is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods. Basically, automobiles stand a very important position in this society.A survey conducted from February 10th to February 13th, 2013 by researchers at Lab42 found that of 500 American car buyers, the Toyota car brand occupies the first position in terms of brand loyalty with consumers. Consumers are loyal first to the Toyota brand than to any other car brand. According to this survey the second and third positions are occupied by Chevrolet and Honda respectively. The survey focused on the fuel economy, driver ease, dependability, and second hade value.Toyota Motor Company will be the most loyalty-inducing brand in the United States. Besides Toyota and Honda, there are few more company were participate in this survey such as Ford, Nissan, Mazda, and others. When Americans think of repeat car buying they seek out Toyota. Toyota America’s favorite car brand is also top of mind when making new car purchases. The Toyota brand has commonly been known to be excellent in the following seven areas: safety, performance, value, design, environmental friendliness and technology.Descriptive research is very common in business and other aspects of life and most of the marketing research we have heard about or participated in can be categorized as descriptive research (Brown, 2012, p. 33). Basically, this purpose of this survey is to know what customers prefer and why. References Brown, T. J. , & Suter, T. (2012). MR. Ohio: Mason. Epstein, Z. (2013). Trouble Brewing for Apple: Survey says half of IPhone users in China ‘want to own’ Galaxy S4. Retrieved from http://bgr. com/2013/04/15/iphone-galaxy- s4-survey-china-439099/

Contemporary Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice and Private Security Essay

Since the events of the Newtown School Shooting and the Boston Marathon Bombing both cities have rebuilt themselves after suffering attacks in 2012 and 2013 that shook the cities and took the lives of many. As the responsible party of any facility or public event security planning and practice plays a vital part in a city subject to future acts of selfless acts of crimes or acts of terrorism. Societal structures, such as schools, malls and churches, are key elements of American lifestyles. Public events such as concerts, marathons, or parades, host millions of people at any given time making them subjective to mass terrorist attacks. Terrorist groups focus on creating organized chaos and inflicting major damage on areas and people. Like the events of September 11th, terrorist events are not always in a particular area at a particular time. This was shown to be true with past events such as the Newton School Shootings and the Boston Marathon Shooting. Eli Saslow, author of â€Å"After Newtown shootings, Pennsylvania county hires armed school guards† explores previous school shootings and security. The Washington Post discusses how security measures have changed from that of Columbine. It talks about the use of metal detectors, intercoms, surveillance systems, and now gun toting teachers. Education systems in Pennsylvania, Utah, and Tennessee are now training teachers to carry firearms, or hiring â€Å"security specialists† at a rate of $11.50 per hour (2013, para. 1). Frank Cichra, one of the paid officers protecting schools, ponders,† Was he protecting kids’ environment or changing it?† (2013). The basis of the article was to find additional ways to ensure that beyond placing schools on â€Å"threat alert† that the schools would be safe. In an article from The Examiner, titled â€Å"The Boston Marathon terrorist and immigration reform† author Hugh Hewitt discusses the issues of immigration reform and national security issues. This most recent incident has brought about discussions on open discussions and support for amendments. The issue compares these debates to those that will take place in reference to the Newtown school shootings and the gun laws debate. The article focuses on the importance of background checks and entry-and-exit procedures. Although the article states that both of the bombers were legal immigrants it goes on to say that there is speculation that one of them may have left and returned in later years. Hewitt states that â€Å"Immigration reform is crucial for national security. But it has to be done the right way, and unless it is done that way this effort will collapse even as the misguided push for gun control collapsed† (2013, para. 14). Recommendations Conclusion The Newton school shootings and the Boston Marathon bombing both had a profound effect on the way policies and procedures are carried out and by whom. These events were made significant because it brought back to the table important issues such as security at a national level, which includes the topics of gun control and immigration. Security planning at the national level has a direct emphasis on homeland security. A prime example of combining all levels of security, the vision of homeland security simply states: â€Å"The United States, through a concerted national effort that galvanizes the strengths and capabilities of Federal, State, local; the private and non-profit sectors; communities, and individual citizens — along with our partners in the international community — will work to achieve a secure Homeland that sustains our way of life† (Bellavita, 2008, para. 1). National level security planning connects all sectors of security to provide protection for the United States against terrorism, different hazards, and catastrophic events. These changes have created a liaison that extends beyond United States territory and forces the updating of older policies. Bellvita quotes a definition from National Strategy For Homeland Security as â€Å"a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur† (2008). Nationally, security planning will involve familiarity with foreign policies, key groups, and national terrorist warnings. One way the emphasis on homeland security affects security planning is the price tag on security. The events discussed in this paper has spawned have changes in our criminal justice system and private security practices. Through these events communication with law makers, foreign influences, and United States citizens has increased awareness and accountability. Updating current systems, technologies, vehicles, and trainings have all brought a new structure to the emergency security protocol. A commonality of safety has carried the nation through its grief while enhancing security protocols and procedures.

Using Diversity as a Strategy Allstate Insurance Company

| Allstate Insurance Company Elizabeth Haskins Strayer University Instructor: Dr. Yohannes Abate Leadership and Organizational Behavior – BUS 520010VA016 July 24, 2011 Abstract As our population becomes grows more ethnically and culturally diverse, companies struggle more and more with the subject of diversity in the workforce. The latest strategy is to leverage diversity as a competitive business strategy. This paper will evaluate Allstate Insurance Company’s goal setting process and how they have used diversity as a strategy leveraging differences in order to create a competitive advantage in today’s diversified market. It will also discuss Allstate’s competitive advantage with the development of the Diversity Index†¦show more content†¦4. Tasks should be broken down so goals can be achieved in a reasonable timeframe. 5. Employees should be provided the resources to obtain their goals. The four step action that Allstate has implanted in direct alignment with the conditions for succeeding with an effective goals setting program. Discuss the competitive advantage Allstate has from the development of the Diversity Index. In creating the Diversity Index, Allstate established an advantage in the competitive business world. Through the Diversity Index the company developed a way for its management to evaluate what is working and what is not working as far as service, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, work behavior, and utilization of employee skills. In communicating the results of the survey to all employees, employees are able to observe management making an effort produce and improve a diverse work environment. When employees know that management is looking to find areas within the company that need improvement and that such improvements will help make the company a bigger success, employees tend to become much more self-driven to make the company a success as well. This has worked well for Allstate as according to numerous sources like â€Å"Fortune Magazine†, â€Å"DiversityInc Magazine†, â€Å"Working Mother Magazine†, â€Å"Diversity Executive magazine †, and â€Å"Forbes Magazine†, to name a few, which have awarded Allstate such titles asShow MoreRelatedEssay on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)3709 Words   |  15 Pagesof their everyday routine. Various companies have modified their ways of conducting day-to-day business routines and manufacturing processes in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint and help maintain sustainability. Companies are encouraging employees to volunteer and make a difference in surrounding communities. 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